B-side Remix | Length 3:49 | |
Released 1999November 25, 2002 (re-release) Format CD maxi, CD single, 12" maxi Genre Electronica, bhangra, alternative hip hop | ||
"Mundian To Bach Ke" (Punjabi: ਮੁੰਡਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਬੱਚ ਕੇ, [mʊɳɖɪɑ̃ tõ bəttʃ ke]), also titled "Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke)", is a bhangra song performed by Punjabi artist Labh Janjua with lyrics written by Channi Singh from Khanna, Punjab, India. The song was remixed by Panjabi MC in 1999, produced in Birmingham, United Kingdom for the album Legalised. Following its re-release as a single in 2002 with Jay Z, it achieved considerable worldwide success, topping the singles charts in Italy and Belgium (Wallonia), and charting highly in many other countries.
Contents
Lyrics and music
In addition to features of bhangra music, "Mundian To Bach Ke" also uses the bass line and part of the beat from "Fire It Up" by Busta Rhymes, which in turn is based around a sample from the television theme song for Knight Rider, written by Glen A. Larson and Stu Phillips, as an underlying element and lyrics originally written by Channi Singh. The lyrics of the song are in Punjabi. The video to this song was shot in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Chart performances
The song was originally released in the United Kingdom on Panjabi MC's 1998 album Legalised. Partially fueled by Internet downloads, it charted again in 2003. In Germany, it sold over 100,000 in the first two days alone, and debuted at #2 in the Germany charts and reached #1 in the Italy charts. The week of its official release in the UK on Dharma Records, it debuted at #5 on the top 40 charts; it was also the first bhangra song to reach the UK top 10. The remix, featuring American rapper Jay-Z, also hit #33 on the Billboard charts in the United States and #10 in Canada. Panjabi MC believed that worldwide sales of "Mundian To Bach Ke" totaled at least one million. In The Washington Post, he estimated that there may have been 10 million units sold. However, given that many of these copies may have been bootlegged, it's impossible to discern an exact number.